Planning Panel Rejects Day-care Center

Call it a day-care center, a school or a ``child enrichment center.`` It doesn`t matter to west Boca Raton residents who do not want it in their neighborhood.

Palm Beach County Planning Commission members on Wednesday recommended denial of a proposed day-care center for 100 children at Palmetto Park Road west of State Road 7.

A handful of homeowners in the 883-home Palmetto Pines development told the advisory board that a day-care center would disrupt their neighborhood during the day and cause traffic congestion on Palmetto Park Road during rush hour.

Planning commissioners agreed, saying a day-care center does not belong on a piece of property that borders homes on three sides.

``Dropping off 100 children twice a day on a road that is only going to get much worse is a plan for disaster,`` said Commissioner Kevin Foley.

Arthur Caruana, a teacher who wants to build what he calls a ``child enrichment center`` on the 2-acre site, said neighbors misunderstood his intentions.

Children would not be allowed to play unattended outside the building, Caruana said. Instead, they would move from classroom to classroom while learning lessons in art, music, karate, dance and even foreign languages.

Caruana said he would not accept children younger than 2 1/2. Because the west Boca Raton area is booming, Caruana said he expects the school`s enrollment would reach 100 students in little time.

While the county`s zoning code allows day-care centers in residential areas, county officials say the centers are more appropriate on the outskirts of single-family neighborhoods.

County commissioners will have the final say on the proposal when they meet on April 28.